Time enough at last
by Legionnaire24601
Summary: "The violence of war, Dictatious, is a terrible thing, it spreads like a sickness and nothing is safe from it … The Heartstone is beginning to show signs of corruption...it's turning black."


_I'm truly sorry man's dominion_

 _Has broken Nature's social union,_

 _And justifies that ill opinion_

 _Which makes you startle_.

"The war with the humans has gone on long enough! It is time to sue for peace!"

"Peace? Peace? The humans have robbed us of our homes, our children and our lives, you fools there will be no peace so long as they plague the earth."

"I've lost 7 daughters to mans deceit and paranoia!"

"Continuing to fight will not bring your children back, nor will it bring you justice."

"I don't want justice, I want revenge! By what right do you have to deny me that?!"

"We don't have time for revenge!"

The Tribunal's court had forgone all semblance of reason and had now devolved into a screaming match.

"You should not have brought him." His father hissed, worry visible in his eyes. "He shouldn't have to see this."

"He is old enough to understand and I fear we no longer have the luxury to shield him from the reality of the war… we are out of time."

Safely nestled in his mother's arms Dictatious looked back and forth between his parents and the arguing trolls.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" He asked, hating how confused he sounded.

His Father glared at him for a moment, before turning to face the court once again, refusing to answer.

He turned to his mother, who pinned him with a calculating stare.

"Take care to pay attention Dictare, trust what your eyes show you," she pointed to the enraged Tribunal.

"The mouth may tell lies, and the head can get clouded, but the eyes and ears can find the truth if you know how to use them… so tell me, what is it that you find?"

Swallowing, Dictatious followed to where his mother was pointing, and focused intently on the angry trolls.

Venom was spewing forth from their mouths, but their eyes were too wide to be true anger. Tension so clearly visible in their shoulders that he had to wonder why he hadn't spotted it before. Each Troll was taking in Great shuddering breaths as if to force themselves into a calm they were not or could not feel.

"Well?" His mother asked.

"They are afraid, something is wrong but they won't say what." Dictatious answered turning to his mother for confirmation.

She nodded.

"What is it mother?"

"The violence of war, Dictatious, is a terrible thing, it spreads like a sickness and nothing is safe from it … The Heartstone is beginning to show signs of corruption...it's turning black."

 _Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble._

He read once that in the time of their demise stars burn the brightest. It never occurred to him that the same could apply to living crystals.

It was the pulsating light of the Heartstone that startled him from his dreamless sleep. Curious he went to the open window of his room to watch. The powerful energy from the stone seemed to grow stronger and Dictatious had to avert his gaze.

"Dictatious?" A small voice came from his doorway.

"What is the Heartstone doing?"

"Don't look directly at it Blinkous." He snapped irritated, turning to shoo his younger brother away. It was in that moment as he shielded his brother from witnessing the Heartstones magic, that all light faded and a great thunderous crack echoed throughout all of Trollmarket, the echo of something shattering going on and on, seeming without end. Wincing, Dictatious covered his ears and shut his eyes as his brother leapt into his arms scared.

And then, silence. Absolute silence. Unease filled him, and despite his best attempts, he couldn't disentangle himself from his brothers hold. Dictatious relented and picked him up before turning to gaze at the heartstone again.

The vision took his breath away.

Pitch black and devoid of all warmth the Heartstone had been split in two, and to his complete amazement something was

Crawling out of it.

"Dictare…"

He couldn't make out what it was. He squinted.

"Is that a troll?"

"Dictare can we go?"

"No, i want to see."

"Dictare please."

He looked down ready to sneer at Blinkous and saw… fear.

He looked between the thing climbing from the stone and his younger brother.

There wasn't enough time, he didn't have time.

He swallowed down his frustration and his curiosity and nodded. "Let's go."

It didn't take long for them to convince their parents to abandon their home. And as they quietly made their trek to parts unknown, the air was filled with the sounds of screams as the thing later known as Gunmar the Vicious began his first slaughter.

 _In proving foresight_

 _may be vain;_

 _The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men_

 _Gang aft agley,_

 _An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,_

 _For promis'd joy._

The world had turned grey for him... permanently.

This...this was not something he had planned. had contingency plans for just about everything. And yet, He had not seen the flare, had not payed attention to his brother, who, even after centuries still announced his intentions though every action, verbal or not. He'd grown complacent, arrogant, and it had cost him dearly.

Dictatious promised himself he'd make his little brother pay for it, starting with that human Trollhunter he so clearly loved.

But before he could, he had to deal with another issue set before him. How to maintain his position as Gunmars council.

The impure Otto sneered and mocked and for all the changelings snide comments Dictatious heard the truth behind his words. Gunmar despised weakness, and no one, not even himself was irreplaceable. The "visions" from the Pale Lady bought him time but he knew it would not last. He was running out of options.

It was when the changeling was in the throes of passion, ranting against Dictatious' "plagiarized vision," that inspiration struck.

The slithering miserable polymorph had been whispering in Gunmars ear trying to turn his favor against him. But as Otto threw a fit, Dictatious for the first time in weeks saw clearly.

The changelings were created to be the Gumm-Gumm foothold in the human world. Spies, informants, their loyalty only to Gunmar.

But as Stricklander, Nomura and countless others had proven, time had a way of changing things, even loyalty.

So long as the bridge had remained destroyed and Gunmar was trapped in the Darklands, the impure brethren had a purpose.

But Gunmar was out, and what purpose do spies have if the world they have infiltrated is soon to be conquered and their information is no longer necessary? They'd outlived their purpose.

Otto stomped off effectively chastised by Gunmars dismissive attitude.

Dictatious could feel his glare as he walked out. But the changelings attitude no longer held his interest. After all why spare a single thought on the Obsolete man?

"Tell me more."

Dictatious smiled and knew what he had to say.

When the screams and had subsided and Gunmar let out a victorious roar, Dictatious smiled. Otto, he assumed was now just a part of a smashed landscape, just a piece of the rubble, just a fragment of what the impure has deeded to himself.

Dictatious chuckled. No more worries about having to prove his council was needed. There was no one else for Gunmar to listen to.

There was time, he had all the time he needed, time enough at last.


End file.
